Nov. 6, 2018, Knoxville, Tenn. … IACMI – The Composites Institute, a Manufacturing USA institute focused on composites integration in advanced manufacturing, and Abaris Training, the world leader in advanced composite training, announce an agreement to host collaborative training workshops that leverage the expertise of the researchers and professionals in both organizations with the resources available at the IACMI facilities across the United States. The first training session, “Advanced Composite Structures: Fabrication and Damage Repair Phase I,” is to be held April 1 – 5, 2019 at the National Wind Technology Center.
These IACMI/Abaris training workshops allow both organizations to better serve the need to grow a skilled composites workforce nation-wide. The sessions contribute to mitigating the critical skills gap in the composites technical industry by teaching the latest technology to students in a friendly and professional atmosphere. The training sessions will include both classroom and hands-on instruction, to offer attendees a well-rounded learning curriculum. Recently, Abaris announced its colocation with IACMI partner, the Composite Prototyping Center, in New York. Feedback from this arrangement has been very positive and indicates the opportunity is timely for continued collaboration and strengthening of the existing ecosystem resources.
“Just as IACMI has garnered an impressive reputation for its personnel expertise and world-renowned facility resources, Abaris has established itself as the go-to resource for composites training. It is a significant opportunity to be able to combine both IACMI and Abaris’ resources and to be able to offer a robust training program. The catalog of offerings is designed to meet the needs of a wide range of audiences from those entering the immediate composites manufacturing field to seasoned professionals needing to refresh skills to keep pace with evolving technology,” said Joannie Harmon Heath, IACMI’s Workforce Manager.
Over the course of the one-week training session, students will engage in hands-on training in advanced composite materials and processes, gaining insight and experience working with processes including resin/adhesive systems, materials forms, curing methods, health and safety issues, composite repair, elevated temperature curing, vacuum bagging, as well as additional topics and exercises.
“As the need for a skilled advanced composites workforce continues to grow, we are pleased to scale this opportunity in order for more students to gain a significant learning experience through Abaris’ courses offered at IACMI facilities. IACMI has established itself as an important contributor to the advanced manufacturing sector, and we look forward to the opportunity to work together to grow the composites workforce,” said Michael Hoke, Abaris President.
The first training session, “Advanced Composite Structures: Fabrication and Damage Repair Phase 1” is scheduled for April 1 – 5, 2019 at the Composites Manufacturing Education and Technology (CoMET) facility at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s National Wind Technology Center, outside of Boulder, Colo. The Advanced Composites Structures course is a recommended course to anyone seeking a better understanding of advanced composite materials, processes, layup/lamination, vacuum bagging, adhesive bonding, tooling, repair, and inspection methods and techniques. This course is a prerequisite course for Abaris repair and manufacturing programs, and prepares students for other composites certifications. Learn more and register at portal.abaris.com/events.
About IACMI-The Composites Institute:
The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation’s energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate innovative research and development in the advanced composites field. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national Manufacturing USA institute is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Manufacturing Office, and over $180 million committed from IACMI’s partners. Find out more at IACMI.org.
About Abaris Training:
Abaris Training is the world leader in advanced composite training. Abaris Began in 1983 as a training, engineering, prototype and R&D company specializing in advanced composite applications and small-scale production. Today Abaris has come full circle, primarily offering training, consultation services and limited R&D capabilities. We have trained more than 25,000 students since our inception in, across a number of industries ranging from aerospace to automotive, wind energy and more. The goal at Abaris is to teach the latest technology to our students in a friendly yet professional atmosphere. Currently we offer over 22 different courses covering many disciplines surrounding engineering, manufacturing, repair, and NDI of advanced composite structures. Classes are available in four different facilities: Reno, NV; Plainview, NY; São José dos Campos, SP, Brazil; and at the KVE facility in Maastricht, The Netherlands. All courses are taught by highly motivated instructors, all of which have vast experience and knowledge of composites and are acknowledged for being the top in their respective fields. In addition to training at Abaris facilities, custom courses can be brought to customer facilities, worldwide.